Extension supporting roller for hearses



1936 H. VAN DEEST 2,056,697

EXTENSION SUPPORTING RQLLER FOR HEARSES Filed Sept. 15, 1934 Patented Oct. 6, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EXTENSION SUPPORTING ROLLER FOR HEARSES Henry Van Deest, Freeport, Ill., assignor to Henney Motor Company, Freeport, 111., a corporation of Delaware This invention relates to hearses and has for its principal object the provision of a simple and practical form of extension roller to facilitate loading or unloading a casket from the rear end of a hearse.

The latest designs of hearses have the body extended at the rear in what is known as a beaver-tail, and this has made it dimcult to get the casket in or out. The extension roller of my invention affords an outboard support and avoids laborious lifting. The roller is constructed to fold in and out of the way when not in use, so that it is easily accessible and presents a neat appearance.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the rear end of a hearse showing the extension roller in folded out of the way position;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar section but showing the roller extended for use, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary plan and rear views, respectively, of Fig. 3.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

The hearse illustrated is of the type having the beaver-tail extension 6 on the rear end thereof terminating in front of the rear bumper I. 8 is the rear door closing the opening 9 through which the extension roller ill of my invention is arranged to be projected to provide an outboard support beyond the last roller H on the floor I2 and over the extension 6, as indicated in Figs. 3-5. Obviously with such an additional supporting roller on which to rest the casket, the pallbearers are relieved of the awkward lifting in loading and unloading the casket, the roller l0 being far enough out so that the end of the casket can easily be placed thereon, or removed therefrom.

The device l0 consists of a roller [3 carried on an axle M supported at its ends on arms I5. The arms are fastened to the opposite ends of a torque tube I6 and are carried on the ends of extension rods I! at right angles thereto. The rods I! are arranged to rest on the door sill l8 in the operative position of the roller device. (See Fig. 3.) The rods I! are hinged, as at l8, on the reduced ends IQ of plungers 20 slidable in guide tubes 2|, which extend vertically downwardly from the sill 18. Caps 22 fit in the upper ends of the tubes 2| and are fastened suitably by screws 23 tothe sill I8 and serve both as guides for the rods I! to hold the same in the folded posit n of and as limiting stops for the plungers 20 when the rods l! are in the unfolded extended position of Fig. 3. The floor of the hearse is formed to provide a recess just in front of the sill l8 to accommodate the projecting portion of the device 5 I0 in its folded position, as indicated in Fig. 2, thus presenting a neat appearance. Rubber bumper rings 24 are provided on the inner ends of the arms l5 for engagement with the caps 22 when the rods H are slid down into the tubes 10 2| to the position shown in Fig. 2, whereby to silence the impact and also eliminate rattle so long as the device is in this position.

In operation, when the door 8 is opened, the extension roller I0 is moved to the operative po- 15 sition by simply raising it first to the limit of its upward movement, determined by the engagement of the plungers 20 with the caps 22, whereupon the roller is swung outwardly, hinging at l 8,

and brought to the position shown in Fig. 3, 20

in which the extension rods I! rest on the sill H3. The casket can then be rolled out onto the extension roller II], as appears in Fig. 3, the bottom of the casket being indicated by the line 25.

When the extension roller is no longer required, 25

it is simply folded up and lowered to the position of Fig. 2, the bumper 24 cushioning the impact of the arms 15 with the caps 24 so that the operation is practically noiseless and there will be no rattling when the hearse is in motion.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn with a view to covering all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. In a hearse having a rear door opening, and a beaver-tail extension therebeneath, means for supporting a casket at floor level over said extension comprising a cross-member, extension rods 4 arranged to reach from inside the hearse rearwardly through the door opening to support the cross-member in extended position, receptacles for said rods extending downwardly from the floor of the hearse, and plungers slidable in said re- 45 ceptacles and having the inner ends of said rods hingedly connected thereto.

2. In a hearse having a rear door opening provided with a sill and having a beaver-tail extension reaching downwardly and rearwardly from 50 the sill, means for supporting a casket substantially at the same level with the floor of the hearse over said extension comprising extension rods reciprocable up and down in guides provided in the floor of said hearse adjacent the sill, plungers 55 hingedly connected to the inner ends of said rods and serving to limit upward movement thereof in the guides, the said rods being arranged to be extended rearwardly from the plungers and rest on the sill with the outer ends projecting over the beaver-tail, supporting arms carried on the outer ends of said rods and extending upwardly therefrom inthe latter'position of the rods, and a transverse casket support carried on the upper ends of said arms.

3. In a hearse, an extensible casket support comprising a pair of parallel. extension rods, upa right guides in the floor of the hearse adjacent the door opening arranged to receive said rods in their out of the way position, plun'gersfhinged to the inner ends of said rods and reciprocable in said guides, means limiting upward movement of said plungers to prevent removal thereof from the guides and provide support for the rods in their substantially horizontal extended position, supporting arms carried on the outer ends of said rods in angular relation thereto, and a transverse casket support mounted on the outer ends of said arms. 1 e

4. In a hearse, an extension support for caskets comprising, in combination, with a door sill, a pair of parallel extension rods, upright guides in the floor of the hearse adjacent the sill arrangedto receive said rods in their out of the way position, plungers hinged to the inner ends of said rods and reciprocable in said guides, means limiting upward movement of said plungers to prevent removal thereof from the guides and provide one point of support for each rod in their substantially horizontal extended position, the rods both engaging the, sill intermediate their ends for further support, supporting arms carried on the outer ends of said rods in angular relation thereto, and a transverse casket support mounted on the outerendsof said arms.

5. In a hearse, an extensible casket support comprising a pair of parallel extension rods, upright guides in the floor of the hearse adjacent the door opening arranged to receive said rods in their out of the way position, plungers reciprocable in said-guides having reduced end portions hingedly connected to the inner ends of said rods, cap. members in the upper ends of said guides permitting extension therethrough of the reduced portions of said plungers and serving by abutment with the plungers to provide support for the rods in their substantially horizontal extended positions, supporting arms carried on the outer ends of said rods in angular relation thereto, and a transverse casket supporting roller mounted for rotation on the outer ends of said arms.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 5 including cushioning means on the outer ends of said rods for engagement with the cap members in the folded position of the extension support.

'7. A hearse as set forth in claim 5 wherein the floor is formed with a recess adjacent the door opening to accommodate the supporting arms and roller in the folded position of the device.

8. In a hearse, an extensible casket support comprising a pair of parallel extension rods, downwardly extending guides in the floor of the hearse adjacent the door opening arranged to rec'eive said rods in their out of the way inoperative position, plungers hinged to the inner ends of said rods andreciprocable in said guides, means limiting upward movement of said plungers to prevent removal thereof from the guides and provide'support for the rods in their operative position extending rearwardly from the hearse, and a transverse casket support carried on the outer ends of said rods.

9; In a hearse, an extension support for caskets comprising, in combination, with a door sill, a pair of parallel extension rods, downwardly extending guides in the floor of the hearse adjacent the sill arranged to receive said rods in their out of the way inoperative position, plungers hinged to the inner ends of said rods and reciprocable in said guides, means limiting upward movement of said plungers to prevent removal thereof from the guides and provide one point of support for each rod in their operative position extending rearwardly from the hearse, the rods bothengaging the sill intermediate their ends for further support, and a transverse casket support carried on the outer ends of said rods.

. 10. In a hearse having a rear door opening, and a door therefor, the combination with a door sill, and a floor on a higher elevation than the sill and terminating in inwardly spaced relation to the door whereby to provide a recess therebetween for an extensible casket support in its retracted inoperative position, an extensible casket support in said recess comprising a pair of laterally spaced extension rods extensible substantially horizontally from the hearse over the sill, upright guides in said hearse extending downwardly relative to the sill and adapted to receive said rods in retracted inoperative position, each of said rods having a transverse portion on the outer end thereof which in the latter position of said rods is disposed substantially horizontally in the recess behind the adjacent end of the floor, and casket supporting means carried on the outer ends of said transverse portions, which in the extended operative position of said rods is disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane with the floor but in rearwardly spaced relation thereto outside the hearse.

HENRY VAN DEEST. 

